Credit

Caption

Anopheles mosquito proboscis. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the proboscis of a female Anopheles gambiae mosquito. The female mosquito feeds by using her modified proboscis to pierce her host's skin and feed on its blood. She uses the blood meal for the production of eggs. A. gambiae is found in Africa, where it is a vector for the Plasmodium protozoa that causes malaria. Magnification: x600 when printed at 10 centimetres across.